Brown Eyed Girl: A Criminal Minds Fanfic
by fandomlovr
Summary: In Santa Clara County, CA, women's bodies are being found in the Anderson Reservoir. Will the team be able to catch the killer before he strikes again?
1. Prologue

**Thank you guys so much for reading! As is commonly mentioned in the disclaimer: I do NOT own Criminal Minds, the characters, or anything else from the show. (But how freaking cool would that be, am I right?!) Also: I am VERY sorry to the followers of this story. Over a year is way too long to wait for the next chapter in a story. But I will say that this story is complete! :D So you can stay up late and procrastinate on a school project, or pretend to be working when your boss goes walking by, or snuggle up at your home with your pet and a nice hot cup if tea. ;) So I hope you enjoy and please, as always: review! This is my first criminal minds fanfiction, so please let me know what you liked, didn't like, if I got any facts wrong, didn't explain or tie up something as well as I thought I did, or if you just want to talk to this crazy cat lady. :p This has no real specific timeline, except its before Prentiss left the team. Read on. lovelies!**

Evelyn struggled against the ropes that kept her tied to the chair. Her wrists were raw and starting to bleed, but she had to fight. _You have to. You can't let him win. _She thought over and over again. She'd been here for two weeks, or had it been three? Four? She couldn't remember. He kept her so full of drugs that she could barely remember her own name.

_Evelyn Gifford. _

The hood he put over her head smelled foul and blocked out all the light, keeping her from seeing anything. She wasn't the first one he'd abducted and forced himself on.

_Sick bastard._

She could still taste the blood in her mouth from when he'd hit her earlier, but she couldn't feel it. She couldn't feel anything. She felt numb; she guessed that was also the drugs. He'd been gone for a while now, but he could be back at any time. If she was going to get away, she had to get out now.

Her blood made her wrists slick, and she was able to work one free. She pulled the hood off her head and was assaulted by the light. The room wasn't that bright, but having the black hood over her head for god knows how long put a bad strain on her eyes. The room was bright and blurry at first, but eventually things came into focus. There was almost nothing in the slate gray room, except for her and the table that had his stereo and several terrifying instruments on it; most of them stained with dry blood. The heavy smell of iron and his cologne hung in the air, and a wave of nausea struck her as she remembered just how long it had been since he'd fed her.

_Several days, at least. _

She looked down at her barely clothed body to see how emaciated she was. Since she'd been abducted he'd kept her in nothing but her bra and underwear. She could see she was thinner, but not skeletal. She began to undo the other hand, forcing it out of the tight restraint. Once she got it free she tried to stand, but almost fell when her blood rushed to her head. She steadied herself, and then made her way towards the door. She was weak, but she managed to get it open, and started to make her way down the dark hallway. She felt her way around, letting her hands guide her through the pitch black hell. She soon found a wooden staircase that led to freedom, and began to climb. She could see light at the top, but just as she reached it he appeared in the doorway and grabbed her by her hair. She screamed out when he wrapped his fingers around her dark brown hair and pulled her head back, forcing her to look at him.

"Hello sweetie, did you miss me?" He teased her as he kicked her in the gut hard with his thick leather boot. She toppled down the stairs and landed on the ground in a heap. She could feel that a few of her ribs had been broken, and the strong iron taste in her mouth told her that something had been punctured. He began to drag her by her hair back to small room. She kicked and struggled, but he was too strong. She knew she'd never escape now. "Now why would you misbehave? You know it only makes me angry!" He tossed her back into the room, making her collide into the wooden chair. He went to restrain her again, but she kicked him hard in the groin. As he fell forward she ran for the door. But he was too fast, and he grabbed her by the hair again and threw her to the floor. Before she could move again, he was on top of her, his eyes burning with malice and rage.

_No, no this can't be happening! _

He put his hand around her throat and pulled a knife off of his belt. Her vision went blurry again as he clamped his hand around her throat even tighter. Even with all the drugs he had her on, she could still feel the searing pain of his knife. The edges of her vision began to darken as she felt her life leaving her.

"You're nothing special, whore. I'll find someone to replace you." He smiled darkly at her.

_Please god no. Don't let this happen to anyone else. Please let me be the last one. _

The unsub heard Evelyn breathe for the last time. He chuckled as he turned on his song, and began to finish his work.


	2. Chapter One

Derek Morgan walked into the bullpen, hoping no one would want to talk to him until he'd had at least two cups of coffee.

_"__Or maybe I'd be better off just dumping it over my head." _

He thought as another jolt of pain ran through his head. Just one too many shots the night before.

_And maybe one too many honeys. _

Just as he began to pour himself a cup, he got a rather unwelcome greeting.

"Hey Derek!" Emily almost shouted in his ear as she clapped him on the back rather hard. She reached into the cupboard just above his head and got down a cup, then slammed the cupboard door closed, making Derek flinch at the booming sound.

_Great, now my head's gonna be throbbing all day. Thanks Emily. _

"Derek, you don't look so good. Did you have a rough night last night?" She asked, more in a mocking way than actually concerned. He turned to her and blinked; how did she know he was out last night?

"Yeah I did. I didn't get much sleep last night."

"And I know why, 'sugar tits'." She chuckled as she took a sip of her coffee. When he looked at her with confusion and a little shock, she rolled her eyes and explained.

"You were out having fun with some. . What do you call them? Oh yeah, 'fine honeys'. When you had a few too many, you sent me a picture with you and all of them, saying quote "Come hang with us! There's room for one more, Sugar Tits."

_Oh crap! How do I not remember any of this? _

He couldn't say a thing, his mouth just hung open as he tried really hard to remember. Then he eventually found his tongue to be in working order and spoke again.

"Haha, very funny. But I didn't text you last night." He said, hoping she was just bluffing. But when Emily smiled her 'You wish' smile, he knew she wasn't.

JJ walked over just as Emily was going to start teasing him again, and broke the news.

"Hey guys, we've got another one. Hotch wants us in the briefing room."

When she left, they followed closely behind, forgetting about the text completely. They joined the rest of the team around the table as JJ began the briefing. As they took their seats, she began to pull up pictures of strikingly beautiful women, and the pictures of their crime scenes.

"Elaine Harris, 35 was found in the Anderson Reservoir by local police officer Joshua Perry while on a fishing trip with his friends. She'd been reported missing by her husband, James Harris over a year ago when she never came home after her business meeting. Upon discovery of her body local authorities decided to comb the reservoir. And that was when they discovered Erika Daniels, 34, Elise Hendrickson, 37, and Erin McDonnell, 33. They'd all been severely beaten, tortured, and sexually assaulted before they were stabbed to death. Elaine had been stabbed five times, Erika eight times, Erin ten times, and Elise eleven times, all in the chest and abdomen. And..." She pulled another set of pictures, these ones even more gruesome than the last.

"Each woman's uterus had been removed."

The team around the table exchanged a rather shocked look as they began to put the pieces of the unsub puzzle together.

"It looks like he's using these women as a surrogate for someone else." Morgan stated.

"It makes sense," Rossi continued "they're all very similar. Women in their thirties, all of them have the same shape and build, the same hair, and are all extremely beautiful. Even their names are somewhat similar. JJ, what kind of jobs did each woman have?"

JJ paused a moment as she recalled the file she'd read. "Elaine was a marketing executive, Erika was an attorney, Elise was a Human Resources representative, and Erin was a publicist."

"These are all confident, strong women who probably were not afraid to fight past the gender double standards to get to where they were. He's probably trying to demean them and force them into being submissive prisoners." Emily added. She just knew there had to be a special circle of hell reserved for these bastards, and she hoped she'd send him there personally.

"A psychopath who has a blatant hatred for career women, not the first time we've seen that." Rossi commented.

"But the signature is interesting." Reid added. "The uterus is associated with birth and life. Since he's removing them that could be symbolic of the relationship with his mother."

"Wait I'm sorry, are you saying that because he didn't have the perfect 'Leave it to Beaver' childhood, he's taking it out on these women?" Garcia asked. She could never understand most of the criminals they hunted down.

"That is probably just one of many triggers that made this unsub who he is today. Do the police have any leads?" Hotch asked.

"None, and there is one other possible victim. Evelyn Gifford, 34. She's a local member of the city council and is currently running for mayor of Morgan Hill. She went to an electoral debate four weeks ago, but never came home. Her sixteen year old daughter Madison reported her missing."

"If he still has her then we're wasting time. Garcia, check all the records of each victim; see if they ever crossed paths. Also check missing persons reports and see if there any other women who match the description that went missing in the area within the last five years. Wheels up in thirty." They all stood from the round table and went off to catch the unsub.


	3. Chapter Two

**_"_****_A woman with a voice is by definition a strong woman. But the search to find that voice can be remarkably difficult." - Melinda Gates_**

The plane leveled out high above the clouds, allowing the team to move around and get comfortable before reviewing the case file. They each got out their files as Hotch got Penelope on the screen.

"Hello my lovelies. So I did as Hotch asked and checked the victims' backgrounds, and none of them ever came within ten miles of each other. I checked bank statements, card transactions; I even checked social media to see if anyone they knew overlapped: I got nothing. Other than living in California, these women didn't know each other or have anything in common."

"What about other possible victims?" Hotch asked.

"A lot of women went missing from the bay area within the last five years, but none of them fit the description of these five." Garcia said.

"You said these five victims had nothing in common. Like what, Garcia?" JJ asked. Everyone flipped through the file again as they brainstormed.

"Like nothing. Their taste in movies, in music, in clothes, in religion. They were as different as night and day."

"That rules out the possiblity of meeting his victims in a location they all used." Morgan stated.

"That's likely, but that doesn't rule out the possiblility that he went to the specific locations of each one." Rossi added.

"He stalked them," Prentiss spoke, finishing Rossi's thought, "until he was comfortable enough to approach them. He probably tried picking them up and when that didn't work, he surprised them."

"He could have just stalked them until he found an opening; a point in their day when he knew they'd be alone and vulnerable. And when that happened he jumped them. How do we know he tried to charm them first?" Morgan asked.

"Look at the places these women went to. Nice hotels, five star restaurants, expensive boutiques. They're all different, but the atmosphere is the same. This guy has money to go to these places. And the files on each victim describe them as being 'confident, outgoing career women who were intelligent and cautious.' There's no way he could've gotten close to them unless he had the skills and charisma to speak to women." Rossi theorized. They all listened, adding this to their list of possiblities for the profile. Emily flipped through the information in her file.

"JJ, where was each woman from?" She asked.

"Erin McDonnell was from San Francisco, Elise Hendrickson was from Fremont, Elaine Harris

was from San Jose, and Erika Daniels was from Monterey."

"He's smart. He crosses jurisdictional lines to avoid being caught." Reid stated.

"No its not just that." Emily said.

"What are you thinking?" Hotch asked.

"I think the unsub is a local, or at least he was. Look at where each woman was from. Garcia, can you pull a map of the bay area, and highlight each city on the map?"

"In a jiffy." She put the map on the screen with each city marked clearly.

"Okay," Emily pointed to the screen. "You see how far apart each city is? San Jose is the closest to Morgan Hill, but that's still a long way to go just to cross jurisdictional lines when you dump the bodies in the same place. I think he's comfortable in the area."

"Garcia, check local records of anyone who has lived or worked in the area within the last five years. See if anyone has a criminal record relating to rape or sexual assault. Morgan and Prentiss, when we land I want you to meet Officer Perry at the dump site. The rest of us will head to the station and continue working on the profile from there." They nodded in understanding as they got ready to work on the case.

When they got off the plane, Morgan and Prentiss hopped into one of the black SUVs and headed to the dump site. Everyone else accompanied one of the officers sent to meet them and followed him to the station. The station was smaller compared to most others they'd seen, but that's common for a town as small as this one. Well lit, air conditioning, and other little niceties made it evident that this town certainly cared about their law enforcement personnel.

"Hi, you must be Miss Jarauex. I'm Douglas Perry." The older man extended his strong hand to Jennifer's slight, delicate one. He shook it, his strong arm squeezing all feeling out of her hand. He was a portly man, with short brown hair that was grey at the temples, and a large mustache covering his upper lip. He had a small scar, she noticed, on his left cheek. His kind hazel eyes twinkled when he greeted them in the doorway. When he let go of her hand, she suppressed the urge to rub it and introduced everyone.

"These are agents Hotchner, Rossi, and Dr. Reid. Agents Morgan and Prentiss went to the dump site. They should be back in a few hours."

"Douglas Perry, any relation to Officer Perry?" Reid asked, remembering the name of the collegue their friends were sent to meet.

"He's my nephew. Moved out here after his pop died when he was fourteen. He's a good officer. Well anyway, I'm glad you guys are here. Our town has never seen anything like this before. It's got everybody scared; a lot of people are hoping to leave town. Follow me, and I'll show you where you can set up."

"So," Emily said as she rounded a turn on the steep hill up to the reservoir, "how much did you have to drink last night, exactly?"

"Enough to forget texting you. And enough to wake up on the floor wearing- - nope." He clamped his mouth shut and shook his head.

"Oh come on! I'm not going to say anything I swear."

"Yeah yeah, like I'm gonna fall for that. I'll tell you and you'll try not to laugh, which you won't be able to do. And then as soon as you get a chance you'll tell Garcia and JJ and Reid and I'll never live it down. And I don't want to be called 'Tarzan' or 'Caveman' for the rest of my career."

"Why would we- oh you weren't!" Emily started laughing hysterically.

_Good job. You've just guaranteed your fate_ _you idiot. _Morgan thought.

"You were in a loincloth?!" Emily managed to choke out in between chuckles.

"Hold on hold on! It wasn't a loincloth exactly, but she kept calling it that."

"Okay fine, what was it a Speedo?" She joked. When she realized he wasn't denying it, she started laughing even harder.

"This is hilarious!" He rolled his eyes. He knew the rest of the team would know about this by the time they were headed back to Quantico.

By the time they'd reached the reservoir, Emily had managed to stifle her uncontrollable laughter. Over the years, she'd learned how to switch quickly between work and fun. They stepped out of the SUV and were greeted by California's warm sun hanging high above them in the light blue sky. They quickly put on their sunglasses as they surveyed the area.

"Perfect dump site." Morgan said.

"Secluded, private. You'd have time to completely submerge a body out here without being caught." She replied.

"Yeah, and just imagine how dark it'd be at night." Emily nodded in agreement as they walked over to the other officers.

_It's too bad this place had to be the disposal site of a wack job. _

Emily thought. The view was lovely; a slight breeze blew through the green trees. The water sparkled in the bright light, shining like thousands of sapphires. The lush green fields surrounding the reservoir were speckled orange from the patches of wild poppy flowers. Why did he have to choose this spot, and ruin it for everyone else?

An officer walked up to them and shook their hands. He was young; in his mid thirties, Derek guessed. He had brown hair cut close to the roots. He had a strong build, with well toned arms and a strong chest.

"Welcome to Morgan Hill, agents. I sure hope you guys can help us out. It's a shame this guy dumped those bodies here. This is a popular spot for people to come and picnic, go camping with their kids. Now its just gonna be a reminder of what happened. Sorry, I'm Officer Perry, but you can call me Joshua. It's nice to meet you." His blue eyes twinkled when he took Emily's hand. But what were his eyes filled with? Sadness? Relief? Joy? She couldn't tell. To be honest, she wasn't sure if it was really his eyes.

_It might have just been the sunlight. _

"Hi, I'm special agent Emily Prentiss, and this is special agent Derek Morgan."

"So you were the one who found the first body?" Derek asked.

"Yeah. Boy, was that rough. A couple of my buddies and I had decided to go fishing. We were about half way out there on my boat, when we decided to drop anchor and start casting. We fished all afternoon until we decided to wrap it up and come back in. When I tried pulling up the anchor, it had gotten caught on something on the bottom. With their help I managed to get it loose, and that's when the body rose to the surface. I couldn't eat anything for a few days after that." He shuddered, remembering the sight of the body. And the smell. They followed Joshua's lead as he began to explain.

"The coroner put her at being dead for about a year. She was weighed down with several rocks, tied to her body with some rope. We already checked local manufacturers; the rope is a generic brand you could get anywhere. We believe he picked up the rocks from somewhere along the shoreline; the color and sediment in them are similar.

"Were the bodies all disposed of in the same way?" Emily asked.

"Yes, ma'am. They were all stripped down to their underwear and then taken out deep and tossed in. We have some pictures of the bodies, if you'd like to see them."

They went over to his truck and waited patiently as he retrieved the files from the seat. The sight of the bodies was gruesome, but no worse than other cases they'd worked involving water.

"Looks like he's been fishing his whole life. Look at the knots he made on these." Emily said.

"Squareknot, Trucker's Hitch. This guys knows what he's doing." Derek responded. The level of abuse here was extensive, and it made him want to hit something. If someone did this to one of his family. . He couldn't even begin to think about it.

"I think we need to take a closer look at the bodies." He said to Officer Perry.

"Alright, let me show you guys the way back." The three of them left for the coroner's office, trying to prepare their stomachs for what awaited them there.


	4. Chapter Three

**_An hour later. . _**

As the three of them walked into the coroner's office, they could smell the all too familiar odor hanging in the air. They all suppressed the urge to vomit and continued to the examination room, hoping that there may be some sort of air freshener or nose plug in there.

Georgia McKinney, a veteran coroner, was very used to the sight of bloated and decayed bodies. She also, thankfully, had almost no sense of smell, which made this line of work a little bit easier for her than most other people. When they walked in they found her writing down notes in a file while she enjoyed her lunch- a turkey sandwich with lettuce, tomato, and onions, and a bag of potato chips. She didn't notice them at first, but when she did she gulped down her bite and quickly shook their hands.

"Hi, sorry I didn't greet you sooner. This guy has got me working all hours; I hardly have a chance to take a lunch break anymore."

"That's fine," Derek said, "I'm agent Derek Morgan and this is agent Prentiss, and this is officer Perry."

"I know Joshua." She said with a smile. "We've been friends for years."

"Dr. McKinney," Emily said, "can you show us the remains of the four victims?" They followed her to the silver wall that could, at maximum occupancy, encase thirty corpses. She pulled open the four requested drawers, and they all forced down another wave of nausea as an even stronger smell hit them.

"Their bodies are still intact, but due to the bloating its hard to make out any identifying marks. I had to use dental records to figure out who they were. When I examined them I found large doses of tranquilizers in their systems." They looked the women up and down. The stab wounds were easy enough to see, as was the deep, jagged wound where the uterus was removed.

"What kind of tranquilizers?" Emily asked.

"Ketamine, Diazepam, among other various ones. It's like he ripped off the local vet."

"Could the killer be a veterinarian?" Derek asked.

"Not at all. The edges of the wounds here are jagged and uneven. Not even a pre med would operate this way; by that time we're trained better. Not to mention the dosage he gave the women of each drug was irregular. If he was in the medical profession, he would know the estimated dosage he could've used on each victim. Dosage can change depending on height, weight and age of the patient. "

"Have any of the veterinary hospitals reported any drugs missing?" Emily asked.

"Not to my knowledge. I asked around; everyone who has gotten back to me so far said they weren't missing anything. Besides, it's not that hard to get these drugs."

"That's true; drug dealers sell animal tranquilizers as much as they sell heroin or ecstasy." Derek said, remembering a report he'd read not too long ago.

"Was the sexual assault pre or post mortem?" He asked, wondering how this woman could think about eating right now.

"Both. There was tearing of the vaginal tissues, indicating pre mortem rape. And I found several samples of semen from different times, some of them from after estimated death. And there's something else, too." They all looked at her, wondering what she was going to say next.

"The last victim, Erin McDonnell. She had fluid in her lungs."

"She was still alive when he put her in the water?" Joshua asked, rather shocked.

"Yes. The others all died of the same cause: exsanguination caused by a large wound in the lower abdomen."

"He didn't wait for her to bleed out." Emily said.

"With the injuries she had, I'm guessing he couldn't tell. Her heartbeat would have been almost non-existent, and her breathing would've been faint at best. He probably assumed she was dead when he put her in."

"Thank you, doctor. Let us know if you find anything else." Morgan said.

As they all exited the building, thanking god for the ocean breeze washing the smell out of their noses, Joshua asked a question.

"Do you think he meant to put her in the water while she was still alive?"

"It's possible. In which case it's even more important we find him soon." Emily said. Joshua looked at the two agents, wondering what they meant.

"This could mean he's devolving. Reverting to a more primitive time when his killing first started. If that's the case, he could go on a rampage and try to kill as many brunette women in this town as he can."

Derek looked down and saw his phone ringing. Seeing it wasn't Garcia, he tossed aside the clever and sexy pun he had and answered.

"Agent Morgan... What... Where? Okay, thanks. Tell the others we'll meet them there."

Joshua and Emily looked at him curiously.

"They found Evelyn Gifford. Dead." They all hopped into their cars and drove to the new crime scene, hoping the scene wasn't as gruesome as the others had been.


	5. Chapter Four

When they pulled up they saw that the rest of the team was already there, as well as a thick crowd of reporters. They pushed their way past, ignoring the typical questions and went behind the yellow tape.

Rossi was crouched down next to the body looking for any small detail. Morgan winced in anger at the sight. The poor woman was completely naked, and her body was covered with bruises in varying stages of healing. Bones were broken, cuts of all kinds covered her head to toe, and besides the signature of the uterus being removed, he had carved "whore" into her stomach. Pre mortem, Emily judged, considering the blood around the wounds.

Douglas Perry pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped the sweat from his brow. The rising heat and the frustration he felt made him feel less than courteous to people, especially the reporters. He barked at them to move back from the crime scene so they could do their job, and stared again at the victim's face. When they met up with the others, Hotch told them everything they knew so far.

"Local delivery men discovered her body about an hour ago when they were unloading a shipment for the liquor store. It looks like the killer tried covering her with some trash bags and then left her here beside the dumpster. The coroner estimates she's been dead for three days."

"She was only gone for a month; he holds them for two or three at least before he kills them. How am I going to explain this to her daughter?" Douglas asked, more to himself than anyone else. JJ put a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"There's nothing anyone could have done." Suddenly they heard a commotion, and JJ and Sheriff Perry went to find out what was happening.

"I wonder if we'll catch this guy in time, or if he'll just keep alluding us forever." Joshua said. Reid looked at him, but tucked his comment away and focused on the details around the body.

"Let me through, damn it! Let me past!" Madison was shouting, trying to get past the officers that were trying to keep her from the bloody scene.

"Sheriff! Sheriff Perry!" She shouted when she saw them. "What's going on?"

"Madison, I need you to calm down." He said, hoping she would.

"No, I won't calm down until you tell me what's going on! Who is that? Is it.. is it my mom?"

When Douglas didn't say anything, she began to cry. She knew her mother was dead.

"You promised me she'd be okay! You **promised** you'd find her before- before she..." She broke down and fell to her knees, sobbing. Reporters crowded around her, hounding her with questions, but she didn't even notice them. JJ knelt down next to her and put her hand on her back, rubbing back and forth softly.

"Madison, my name is Jennifer Jarauex. I'm with the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI. I'm so sorry about what happened to your mom."

She stared down at a locket around her neck.

"This was hers. She gave it to me for my birthday." Tears streamed down her face as she remembered her mother. JJ said nothing, she simply waited for her to calm down again, and then spoke.

"If you're okay with it, I'd like to take you back to the police station to ask you about your mom and the last time you saw her. No detail is too small." She nodded her head yes, and with JJ's help, she stood and got into the clostest police car and headed to the station.

The team watched as JJ and Madison drove away, and then continued talking softly enough so that even the most persistent reporter couldn't get anything.

"He didn't dump her in the reservoir." Joshua stated.

"No, he couldn't. He knew that it was compromised." Hotch spoke.

"But still, to dump her here." Douglas added. "This is a high traffic alleyway, especially for the businesses. There's no way you could dump a body here without being noticed by a delivery truck or hauling van; not unless you did it early in the morning."

"How early?" Emily asked.

"Very; anywhere between two or four o'clock. Any later, and there's a good chance you'll be seen." He sighed as he looked at her body again. Evelyn wasn't just another victim; he knew her. They'd been friends for years. And now she was lying here at his feet, murdered by some madman.

"Hotch, we think he's devolving." Morgan told him in hushed tones. "If we don't find him now there's no telling how many women he'll kill before we catch him."

"Alright. Get Garcia on the cameras along these buildings; see if she can make out a license plate number from a car or can get a clear picture of his face. You and Prentiss head back to the station and help JJ."

Derek and Emily nodded and went to work. Joshua went with them to help fight their way through the reporters and get back to the station.

"Okay Madison," JJ started as she sat down to the wooden table in the interrogation room, "what do you remember from the night your mom was abducted?" Madison shrugged her arms, not making eye contact with JJ.

"No detail is too small." She reminded her.

"She was getting ready to go out, and she asked to me to clean the kitchen after I made myself dinner. I said 'whatever', and then she told me to get my attitude in check, which started a fight. She got the last word, like she always did, and she left."

"Is there anything else that you can remember? Do you remember if she talked about going somewhere after the debate that night? Did she talk about meeting anyone?"

Madison shook her head, but JJ could tell she was leaving something out.

"Madison, I know this is hard. But we need to know everything about that night- something that may not seem important may actually help us find the person who did this." Madison hesitated, but gave in.

"She didn't want people to know. She thought that if people knew, no one would treat her the same."

"Know what, Madison?" She asked.

"She was gay. That's one of the main reasons why she and my dad got divorced." JJ nodded in understanding and let Madison finish her story.

"She planned to go meet her girlfriend after the debate. She thought I didn't know, but I did. She'd been seeing her for a few months."

"Do you know her name?"

"No, at least I'm not sure if it's her name. Once I heard my mom mention a Vicky or Veronica when she was on the phone with her, but I'm not sure."

"Do you know what she looks like? Hair color or height? Anything?" She said, hoping to jog some trace memory.

"No nothing, I'm sorry. Do you think she could've had anything to do with this?"

"Right now we have to look into every possibility." Madison nodded in understanding, and then began to cry again.

"The last thing we did was fight. I told her that I couldn't wait to move out and leave her. She thought I hated her!" She sobbed her breathing shallow from crying.

"I'm sure she knew you loved her. Families fight all the time, Madison. Trust me; she knew that you didn't really feel that way." Madison nodded, but still cried, remembering how she left things with her mother. Eventually she was able to breathe normally, and drank some of the water JJ had given her.

"Thank you Madison and here's my number, in case you remember anything else." She opened the door and let Madison through first. Emily, Derek, and Joshua walked over to her as she closed the door and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Did she remember anything?" Derek asked.

"She said that the other reason her mom went out the night she was abducted was because she was meeting her girlfriend. She couldn't remember the full name, but she said the name was either Vicky or Veronica.

"Okay, but there's no evidence that any of the other women were gay or bisexual. That may not even be a part of the pattern." Emily stated.

"True, but we should still see if we can find the woman Evelyn Gifford was meeting the night she was abducted. Even if she didn't have something to do with it, she might have seen something." Morgan added. The phone in his pocket started ringing, and upon seeing the caller, he turned on his sexy phone voice.

"Talk to me, Baby Girl. Did you find anything?" He heard Garcia do her flirtatious little chuckle.

"Anything you say sugar, but I didn't find much. Their security camera would've been better if they had just strapped a GoPro to the building."

"Wait, I thought I saw at least five or six cameras down that alleyway." He replied.

"There were," she purred in his ear, "but only one of them was partly operational. The others haven't worked for a few years at least, and all the footage I got was after the body was dumped."

"Great. Please tell me that you could get something."

"They don't call me 'Queen of the Keys' for my wonderful piano playing." She joked as she typed.

"When have you ever been called that?" He replied playfully.

"Well after what I've done, you guys will be calling me that henceforth. Anyway most of the footage was very grainy and dark, but after I worked my magic, I was able to get an image of someone leaving the alley about five minutes after the coroners believe her body was dumped. And before you ask, it is going to your phone right now." A second later he heard the ping notification, telling him the image was there.

"Thanks Garcia, and can you do something else for me?"

"Sure, but you should know that I charge by the hour." She teased.

"Can you look for a woman for me? The name is either Vicky or Veronica."

"Okay a Vicky or Veronica in the bay area. What else?"

"That's it for now."

"Derek, do you know how many Vickies and Veronicas there are in the bay area alone? A lot. If you want me to find the woman you're looking for you're gonna need to help me narrow it down."

"I thought you were Queen of the Keys?" He teased her. She chuckled.

"You're lucky you're cute, Agent Morgan. Alright, I'll see what I can do." She replied.

"Thank you hot stuff." He spoke smoothly.

"Oh Tarzan, how you flatter me." He heard her chuckle and then hang up.

_Oh crap. Garcia knew?! Thanks Emily, I owe you big for this._

"So what did she say? Did she find anything?" Emily asked.

"She said that she was able to get a picture of someone leaving the alleyway not long after the body was dumped." With a few clicks he pulled up the image. It was grainy and dark, but you could make out the face pretty easily.

"That's Raymond Bostick." Joshua said, not too surprised to see his image.

"You know this guy?" JJ asked curiously.

"Yeah, we bring him in a lot. We usually have to throw him in the drunk tank to sober up, but lately he's been getting a little radical."

"How so?" Emily questioned.

"Well his wife left him for another woman, and since then he's been pretty messed up; he blames every woman he sees. He's protested the Gay Pride Parade in San Francisco every year, verbally harassed a few women. He called them "dykes, whores, filth, ", and all sort of things, and then he hides behind religion as an excuse. I wouldn't be surprised if he was involved somehow." Joshua finished with a sigh. These women were still dead, but if he was the unsub they were looking for, and then they might catch him before the next victim.

"Do you know where we can find him?" Morgan asked.

"Derek, we don't have any evidence to hold him with. Not to mention, we don't know for sure he is the unsub." JJ stated. Emily nodded.

"She's right. If we bring him in without evidence and he turns out to just have been in the wrong place at the wrong time-"

"I know, but I want to be sure. If he is the unsub and we don't use this chance to bring him in, we could lose him and he could kill someone else. Joshua, you and I will go and bring him in. JJ, let Hotch and the others know." With that Joshua and Derek left with a few other officers they asked to help them.

"Hotch isn't gonna be happy." Emily said as she crossed her arms.

"I know. But one thing I've learned is never try to stop Derek when he's set his mind to something." JJ pulled her phone out of her pocket and dialed Hotch's number.


	6. Chapter Five

**_Three hours later..._**

Everyone was scattered around the round wooden table in their briefing room where they'd set up their files. Hotch was not the least bit pleased with Morgan and Perry, but they'd successfully brought in Raymond Bostick, who at this moment was sitting in an interrogation room waiting. He planned to talk with Derek about it, but right now they might as well use this opportunity.

"I should go in there. I've questioned him before; I know what buttons to push on him." Joshua said.

"But that also means he knows what buttons to push on you." Rossi stated. "We need to throw him off; force him into an uncomfortable situation."

"I think I have an idea." JJ said.

Raymond heard the click of the door opening and saw two women, a blonde and brunette talking. The brunette caressed the blonde by brushing her hair behind her ear. The blonde returned the affection by taking her hand and squeezing it gently. Raymond shook his head in disgust.

_Those dyke cops think they can break me? I don't think so. _

They walked in, still holding hands. When they reached the table they both sat down and set their files on the table.

"Mr. Bostick I'm agent Prentiss and this agent Jarauex of the FBI. We have a few questions if you-"

"I don't have anything to say to you, dyke. I've done nothing wrong." He hissed. Emily cocked her head to the side.

"Really? Protesting Gay Pride parades isn't wrong?"

"I have the right to Freedom of Speech!" He demanded.

"Does that 'speech' include throwing cherry bombs onto the floats and waving around an assault rifle yelling quote 'kill all the faggots!'?" Emily read from the police report. Instead of making him squirm, he just chuckled.

"What, agent? You worried I might've hurt one of your gay little friends?" He mocked. JJ clenched her fists, and Emily put her hand lovingly on her shoulder to help her relax. Raymond's smile faded.

"Is that why you're talking to me? Doesn't the FBI have anything better to do? Shouldn't you be looking for the guy who murdered those women?"

"That's why we're here." At first he was confused, but then he put the pieces together and instantly started denying it.

"No. No that wasn't me. I would never hurt anyone."

"No, you'd just try to kill hundreds of gays and lesbians." JJ said annoyed.

"You keep out of this. When I'm talking to you, you'll know it." He seethed. Emily would have shot out of her seat with what he said to JJ, but JJ put her hand on Emily's leg and whispered to her to calm down.

"Don't like it when I'm rude to your girlfriend, huh?" Emily glared at him as she spoke.

"We have an image of you leaving the alleyway on McAllister five minutes after Evelyn Gifford's body was dumped. Want to tell me what you were doing there? Or let me guess, you were in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Look, I was in that alley okay? But I didn't touch her. Hell, I didn't even see the body. I've never even met her; I've just seen her posters around town."

"What makes you think we believe you?" JJ asked, "I mean look at your track record."

"They were duds! The cherry bombs, the rifle, they didn't work! They never worked, that's why I used them! I didn't plan to hurt anybody, I was just trying to show them that what they're doing is wrong." He pleaded.

"So you were trying to save them?" Emily said, frustrated by his attitude. "What exactly were you trying to save them from, Raymond?"

"From damnation. You two don't realize how harshly you will be judged. Satan will punish you if you don't repent!"

"What will 'Satan' do when you die Raymond? Considering the level of torture you exerted on these women," Emily said as she showed him the crime scene pictures of the victims, "I would say that you have quite a bit of repenting to do yourself."

"I sware to you I didn't do this! I may have said some things. . but I would never do anything like this. I swear!" He exclaimed, tears starting to form in his eyes. Emily and JJ looked at each other and then stood from the table.

"We'll be back, Mr. Bostick." They excited the room and met up with the rest of the team who'd been watching on the other side of the two-way mirror.

"He's a piece of work, but I don't think he's the unsub." Emily said.

"How do you know he wasn't lying? Raymond's lying is almost pathological." Joshua said.

"There are certain things we look for when we interrogate someone. Shallow breath, fidgeting, minimal eye contact. He may be many things, but a serial killer isn't one of them."

"So we're back to square one." He replied.

"Perry, this just came in for you." A fellow officer said as he handed him a small package. Joshua thanked him and opened the package. He dropped the box when he saw Evelyn Gifford's bloody uterus inside. While he ran to the nearest trash can to get sick, Derek grabbed some tissue and picked up the box gently, trying to preserve any and all evidence inside. There was a note tucked next to the uterus, which he pulled out gingerly and unfolded. The note read:

**Dear FBI** **Agents, send my sympathies to Evelyn's daughter; I'm sure she misses her mother. She looks very lovely when she cries. More care packages will be sent if you continue to look for me. If you do not stop hunting me, I'll start hunting you. My deepest regards. **

Derek would have crumpled the letter and thrown it away in anger if it weren't evidence.

"That cocky son of a bitch!" He growled. He stormed to the interrogation room and slammed the bloody note down on the table for Raymond to read.

"Wh-what's that? Is that... Blood?" Raymond stammered.

"Yeah you're damn right that's blood. You know whose it is? Evelyn Gifford's. This is hers, too." He held open the box for Raymond to see, and Raymond almost got sick on the floor.

"Now I'm tired of playing games with you. Tell me where you've been keeping these women!"

"I didn't do this! For the love of God, please believe me!"

"No you don't get to beg to God. God doesn't help men who rape, torture, and murder five innocent women." Derek was ready to throttle this guy, but Hotch burst into the room with a forceful glare.

"Derek, that's enough. I'll finish with him; go wait outside."

"Hotch, this guy is-"

"Is not the unsub. But I do have a few more questions for him. I can handle this on my own. Take this to forensics and have them start working on it." Derek hesitated, but let out an exasperated sigh and gave in. He left the room with the box in hand, thoroughly looking forward to this case being over and them all heading home.


	7. Chapter Six

Derek came back from forensics with the file containing the results. He rejoined the others in their own personal conference room.

"There was nothing. Not a fingerprint, not a hair or dead skin cell. He used gloves, and the note was typed on a typewriter so it can't be tracked to any specific printer. This guy knows how to hide."

"Anything from the postal marks?" JJ asked.

"No, apparently it was dropped off at one of the mailing boxes around town. No tracking numbers, no leads." He sighed as he tossed the file from the test results on the table.

"The fact that he knows how to cover his tracks means he either is or was in law enforcement of some kind." Rossi stated.

"Is that possible? An officer gone postal?" Joshua asked with a look of shock on his face.

"Actually it's not as bizarre as it sounds. Around 58% of police officers develop PTSD, and over 74% of those become prone to violent outbursts." Reid stated casually. Joshua looked at him curiously.

"How do you know all that?"

"I have an eidetic memory. I remember everything I've ever read." Joshua nodded, surprised.

"I can think of a few tests that would've made that nice to have." He said, trying to diffuse an awkward situation. Morgan got Garcia and quickly put her on speakerphone.

"Speak, mere mortals! I am at your command." She proclaimed.

"Garcia we need you to look into the backgrounds of the police officers in the area for any history of violence or mental illness, who also had a spouse divorce or separate from them recently. Something would've triggered them to start killing." Hotch said.

"I'm on it, but I warn you it may take a little while to find something."

"Try to focus on locals, or officers who have lived in the area for several years. Focus on ones who'd have an intimate knowledge of the area."

"Alrighty, I'll be back as soon as I get something." They heard the click of the receiver, and went back to the profile.

"Derek, can I speak to you for a minute?" Hotch said, more as a statement than a question. Derek and Hotch stepped out of the room and went down the hall where they wouldn't be disturbed.

"What you did with Bostick was out of line. Both the arrest and storming into the interrogation room the way you did."

"Hotch, that guy was lying half the time and preaching the other half. Alright fine maybe I shouldn't have handled it the way I did, but just talking to him wasn't working."

"But he wasn't lying. And to use the evidence that way was completely irresponsible. It could've been contaminated by Bostick or you or anything else. Your priority should've been to take it to the lab, not use it to intimidate and sicken the suspect. And to bring him in without being given permission was a big risk. One that you shouldn't have taken."

"Hotch, we're running out of time. He could've found another victim by now and was going to torture her the way he did with the others. I felt that it outweighed the risks."

"You had no reason not to wait approval."

"You would've said no!" Derek demanded.

"Actually if you had followed the proper procedure and waited for my answer, I would've said yes. Doing that was irrational and dangerous." Derek was silent, but he was furious. Hotch could see it in his face. Derek felt that he'd done the right thing and he understood that, but there are rules and all sorts of red tape that had to be considered. If not, who knows what Strauss could do to Derek's career, or to the team for that matter. Hotch already knew he'd be hearing from her when they got back (if not sooner), but he wanted to make sure she had as little to shout about as possible. And he didn't want to give her any reason to change the team. Hotch sighed and looked away.

"We'll discuss this later." Derek brushed past him and back into the room with the others. Hotch opened up his wallet and stared at the picture of Jack and Haley. Tomorrow is his birthday, and he won't be there- again. He thought about his son and how much he missed him.

_Did his present show up on time?_

Hotch pushed these thoughts from his mind and rejoined everyone, hoping he could get back home to Jack soon.

"Emily, I want you and Derek to go speak with the families of the victims again, see if there is anything that they can tell us about the night they were abducted. JJ, take care of the press if you can. Chances are if he sent us a package, he sent them something too. He wants to be noticed; he doesn't care about hiding anymore. Reid, I want you, Rossi and Officer Perry to go over the case files with what Garcia finds. See of anything overlaps." They got ready to begin their assigned tasks and Hotch walked over to the board and stared at the trail of evidence, looking for any clue that they may have missed.

"Agent Hotchner, maybe I should take agent Prentiss. The roads to most of the homes are back in the hills. They're very easy to get lost on." Joshua offered. Hotch nodded, considering his point.

"Are you sure?" Derek said. "Joshua lives and works in the area. He could help us narrow down the suspect list."

"No he's right, the GPS in the car is inaccurate too often to risk you both getting lost up there. We don't have the luxury of time right now. Emily, you and Joshua go interview the families. Derek, you work with Reid and Rossi." Hotch said. Joshua and Emily jumped into an SUV, as the others went to work.


	8. Chapter Seven

**_A few hours later. . ._**

"Look I know this may be a big story, but it's imperative that you don't publicize the killer on the air. . . Because by airing this information and doing things like giving him a nickname will, in his mind, encourage him to continue. He'll feel as though we want him to keep doing this. . . I understand that you have deadlines, but what we need to focus on right now is the safety of the public. . . And the public will know, after he is in police custody. Until then I must ask you to avoid putting anything on your station. As far as the public is concerned, you have as few answers as they do. . Thank you and good day to you too." JJ hung up the phone and rubbed her temples. Trying to get reporters to stop running a story is almost impossible, especially when they think it will improve their ratings. She looked out the window and saw that the sun was hanging just above the horizon. Sunset was coming soon. Reid came over and sat down next to her after handing her a bottle of aspirin.

"Thanks." She said as she took the medicine with a gulp of water.

"Another station?" Reid asked.

"That was the last one." She replied. "It's hard to believe that a town as small as this one has so many public media outlets. You guys find anything new in the records?"

"Nothing important to the case." He responded. JJ nodded and then stood to stretch her legs. She'd been sitting there on the phone with reporters for several hours. It felt good to stand up and move around.

"I'll be glad when this case is over and we can go home." She said. They heard Derek and Rossi walk back into the room, with a small file in their hand.

"Well nothing so far with local law enforcement, but we did find out who Mrs. Gifford's significant other was. Veronica Robles, 34. She was Lauren's assistant." Rossi said as he handed them the file Garcia had sent. "Hotch went to speak with her about twenty minutes ago."

Suddenly one of the local officers rushed into the room, interrupting their conversation.

"Agents, I think you need to see this." He went over to the TV and turned it on. As soon as the picture came on, he switched to channel three news.

**"-And now we go live to downtown Morgan Hill with Dana Lombardi. Dana-"**

**"Thanks, Ethan. I am standing at the end of Finney Rd, where you can still see the police tape roping off the area. Early this morning, the body of Evelyn Gifford was discovered by a few delivery men unloading their trucks** **along here. She had been beaten, tortured, and finally stabbed, in what people are calling the most brutal murder this town has seen. And according to anonymous sources, this is not the first. Evelyn Gifford was the fifth victim in a string of murders taking place over the last few years. The killer, according to sources, is targeting brunette career women who live in the bay area. As we all know, Evelyn was on her way to an electoral debate when she was taken on the seventh of last month. She was 34, and we send our deepest sympathies to her daughter Madison. Back to you, Ethan." **

Derek turned the TV off and stomped away angrily. JJ ran over to the phone, dialing the number for the station while she vented her frustration.

"I can't believe they did that! I just got off the phone with them an hour ago. I told them it was imperative that they didn't release the story; I stressed to them how critical it was. And then they do this!" She paused when the secretary picked up the phone.

"Yes, I would like to speak with the station producer Ken Michelson. . . **Now.**

Emily and Joshua approached the Daniels' home just has the sun finished setting over the horizon. She was the last of the family members they needed to interview, and so far their questioning had not provided any new information. The hazy pink glow in the sky had gradually faded to a darker blue as the mild chill turned into a freezing gust. As they walked up the steps to the home, Emily noticed that the front yard and home were not well cared for. A lawn that had once been kept pristine was now overgrown and scattered with weeds. The house, no doubt beautiful when first built, was now worn and colorless. And for the neighborhood this house was in, a poorly kept home didn't fit.

They rang the doorbell and waited for an answer. Erika's mother answered the door, an older woman with graying hair and sad eyes.

"Yes, can I help you?" She asked.

"Yes ma'am. I'm Agent Prentiss with the FBI, and this is Officer Perry. We would like to ask you a few questions about your daughter's disappearance." She said as they showed her their badges.

"No, no I'm sorry. I can't help you."

"Mrs. Daniels please, we just need a few moments of your time-"

"Look," the woman cut Emily off. She looked back at her two young grandchildren in the front room before stepping out onto the stoop and closing the door.

"For _months _I had hoped and prayed that my Erika would come home to us. When I was told that she was . . . what had happened, I was devastated. But I cooperated, thinking that telling you anything I knew would be of help to you."

"And it is ma'am," Joshua interjected, "that's why we need to know-"

"No, you don't need to know anything! You and the other detectives have been coming by day in and day out and haven't given us a moment's peace! You need to leave me and my family in alone and stop harassing us. Now get off my porch." Emily put her hand on the woman's arm gently just as she was about to go back inside.

"Please, I know this is difficult. But I also know that you are trying to do everything you can for those girls in there." The woman gazed back at her grandchildren who were busy playing with their toys.

"It's not right that they should have to grow up without their mother." She began to cry, and Emily moved her hand to the woman's shoulder for comfort.

"No, it's not. And that's why we need to talk to you. So we can keep this from happening to anyone else." The woman paused to think, and then opened the door to let them in.


	9. Chapter Eight

Hotch and Rossi walked up to Reid and Morgan, who were setting up all the collected information onto the whiteboards.

"Hey," Reid greeted, "did Veronica remember anything?"

"She said that they were supposed to have dinner after the debate was scheduled to end at ten, but Evelyn never arrived at the debate. So somewhere beforehand the unsub was able to abduct her without raising suspicion." Hotch summarized.

"Are you ready to give the profile?" He asked.

"Almost," Morgan replied, "but we figured that Emily and Joshua would be back for this."

"You're right; they should be back by now." Hotch said as he looked at his watch.

"They could be taking it slow. The gated community that Mrs. Daniels lives in is up on the hill, and the only way to get up there is through one of the seven winding back roads. And with the cold temperatures and gusting winds, they could take up to ninety minutes to get back, assuming that they just finished speaking to her and are now leaving." Reid stated. They nodded in understanding and prepared to give the profile without them. As the night sky outside grew darker, they waited for everyone to file in and began.

"We believe our unsub is a white male in his mid to late thirties. He likes to hold his victims for long periods of time before disposing of them, and takes time in making sure that they are properly weighed down." Hotch started. "He believes that women should only be in care giving roles like that of a housewife or mother."

Rossi added, "In order to hold these women for a long period he would need a secluded area; likely somewhere up along the hills near the reservoir. Dragging over one hundred pounds of dead weight would be very difficult. He most likely drives a dark colored pickup truck; something that is not uncommon and wouldn't be strange to see around the area. He also has training in the field; we believe he either is or was in some type of law enforcement. He's smart and knows how to cover his tracks." Rossi then passed it on to Morgan.

"The extreme violence he exerts on these women tells us that he's a sexual sadist, and that they're a surrogate for someone who hurt him; most likely a wife or mother. They may have left for their career, which is where his resentment for strong women started." To this Reid added,

"Up to this point he has been careful not to leave behind any evidence at any of the scenes, which means he is meticulous and focuses on every detail. Everything has to be perfect for this unsub. They also want recognition for their acts. Which is why he sent the package to us, and a letter to the local news stations. He is a skilled liar and is rather charming, which is how he lured his victims. It's likely that if you ask his neighbors or friends about his misogynistic attitude, they would be completely shocked. They would not believe that this person is capable of doing something like this."

One of the officers raised his hand, and Reid gestured for him to speak.

"Why is he cutting out their uterus? What does that mean?"

"His fixation on the womb, combined with the level of torture he exerts on the victims, means he doesn't believe these women are capable of performing their 'rightful duties'. He believes he is punishing them for not remaining in their proper place." Reid paused, allowing Hotch to take it. The female officers in the room squirmed in fury. Each one imagined what they would do to this son of a bitch if they were the one to take him down.

"Since he just got rid of his last victim, he is now on the hunt for the next. And with the level of torture he used on Evelyn Gifford, along with the shorter time span he held her for, means that he's devolving. He could already have his next victim, which means we have to find him now. Thank you." As the officers stood from their seats, the group came back together and began to talk.

"Do you think we'll find him before then?" Morgan asked. None of them were really sure if they would catch him before he took another woman.

"We gave them the profile. Now we have to hope that we'll catch him in time."

Reid stopped to think, triggered by Hotch's words. He rushed over to one of the officers' desks and began thumbing through the drawers. Hotch and Morgan followed him, wondering what he was figuring out.

"What is it, Reid?"

"Something Officer Perry said. He said 'I wonder if we'll catch this guy in time, or if he'll just keep alluding us forever.'"

"So, that just means he's as frustrated as every other officer in this station." Morgan said.

"No, he said it almost like he admired the unsub." Reid finally found what he was looking for in Officer Perry's desk drawer. He pulled out a framed picture of himself and his ex wife on their wedding day. Her side of the glass was smashed in as though the picture had been punched repeatedly, and her face had been inked out.

"You were right about the unsub possibly having training in the field. He's a cop." Morgan said, shocked by this terrifying revelation.

"He told me his wife left him; that would definitely be a trigger." Rossi said.

"Guys, Emily is with Officer Perry." Reid said, still shocked by his discovery.

"A strong, confident brunette who has a career. That fits his preference to a 'T'." Morgan said.

"But he's smart. Perry knows that if we figure out its him, he'd have no way to hold her. We know she's with him, and his home address is on file in the station records." Reid stated, hoping that would be the case.

"But he's devolving, which means he would be too desperate to try and be careful. As soon as he gets Emily alone, she's in danger." Hotch said.

"We need to tell her."

As Emily and Joshua were leaving the Daniels home, she couldn't help feeling that the last hour and a half had been a waste of time. She hadn't been able to provide any new information, and it seemed like they were just chasing their tails. As they walked back to the SUV, Emily noticed that the street light they'd parked next to had gone out. The darkness of the street was unsettling.

Her breath curled out of her lips in white plumes, the cold air making her cheeks turn pink. She suppressed a shiver as Joshua fell in step behind her. It was strangely quiet outside; not a cricket chirp or a bird call could be heard.

The sudden vibration from the phone in her pocket almost made her jump.

_Calm yourself; it's just your phone. _

She didn't even know why she was feeling so skittish. It's not like she was alone and unarmed. She had backup and a glock strapped to her belt. She was ready should anything happen. She looked down at her phone and saw the text that Morgan had sent her.

**"Get back to the station now. Perry is the unsub."**

She almost froze where she stood. She couldn't believe what she read. Joshua is the unsub? She was in danger; she knew she was his type and if he had the chance, he'd abduct her too. But she wasn't about to let that happen. She turned suddenly to face Joshua, making him almost crash into her.

"Oh! Sorry, Agent. I wasn't watching where I was going." He said. "What does the text say? Any new leads?" He asked, indicating her phone.

"Nothing yet," she lied, "just agent Morgan letting me know that the briefing started. Hey, you look pretty tired. Why don't you let me drive? It's a long way back and you could use some rest."

"That's alright, I'm sure I'll be fine." He responded.

"And I'm sure that I'd rather not crash on the way back to the station."

He hesitated, allowing Emily to speak again.

"Don't worry, I'm not _that bad _of a driver."

Joshua smiled and began to reach into his pocket for the keys, but then he just stopped.

He knew.

His whole demeanor changed from a calm, rational man to that of a bloodthirsty animal. His eyes were filled with malice as he smiled wickedly at her. Emily knew she was in danger; she had to get out now. He grabbed her by the arm and punched her hard. Her head flew back from the blow, and she could feel the blood beginning to drip from her nose. But she fought back, striking him with an uppercut to the jaw from her free elbow. She kicked him in the groin and then kneed him in the gut before she pulled out her gun. He fell to the ground, heaving for breath. She dialed Morgan's number, but he pounced on her, tackling her onto the thick grass lawn. Obviously he hadn't been as subdued as he'd pretended to be. Her gun flew into one of the overgrown bushes and out of sight. The wind was knocked out of her, and with him on top of her, she could barely breathe. She saw her phone dialing, and she could just barely hear Morgan answer.

"Emily? Emily are you there?"

He grinned at his new prize, socking her in the stomach a few times for good measure. She let out gasps of pain as the air was forced out of her again. She tried to struggle as he put her into handcuffs, but that only him angry. He slammed her head into the ground, each painful jolt making the world around her become more and more blurry. As everything grew dark, he leaned in close enough for her to feel his breath on her skin.

"Don't fight it. You _know _you want this." That made her struggle even more. He ran his fingers through her hair in a caress as he kissed her neck. She tried to pull away, but he wrapped his fingers around her brown hair, pulling it tight.

"Oh no. I don't think so." He slammed her head into the ground one last time. Everything faded to black. As she drifted out of consciousness, she could hear Derek's voice plain as day.

"Emily answer me! What's going on, are you safe? Where is Officer Perry? . . . Emily? . . . Emily!"


	10. Chapter Nine

Morgan looked at the caller ID on his phone.

_Thank god she's okay. _

"Emily? Emily are you there?"

She didn't respond. He heard rustling, and then Emily gasping like the wind had been forced out of her lungs.

"Reid, get Garcia on the phone. Tell her we need her to get a fix on Emily's phone and track it."

Reid got Garcia on the phone in a flash.

"Speak and be heard, my boy genius."

"Garcia, its Emily." Penelope stopped, her tone changing in an instant.

"What happened Reid? Is she okay?"

"We don't know. Officer Perry is the unsub, and she's with him." He heard her gasp.

"We need you to track her phone and see where they are."

"I'm on it." She said, her fingers typing as fast as she could.

**"Don't fight it. You ****_know _****you want this." **

Morgan couldn't believe what he was hearing. His best friend was kidnapped, and he couldn't do a thing about it.

"Emily answer me! What's going on, are you safe? Where is Officer Perry? . . . Emily? . . . Emily!" He shouted into the phone. No response came except for a rustling noise, and then the dial tone.

"Come on baby girl, Emily's in danger. Please tell me you could trace the call."

"No, the call ended before I could. I'm sorry."

"Can you track it if the phone's on?" He asked, desperate to get help to Emily.

"I could, but it looks like he turned it off. He must've taken the SD card out."

"Damn!" He shouted as he let out an exasperated sigh. He didn't blame Garcia at all, but it was still infuriating to know that his friend could be getting killed right now, and he couldn't do a damn thing to help her.

"I'm sorry-" Penelope started.

"It's alright, Penelope-"

"No its not! She could be dead right now, and I couldn't do anything!"

"Baby girl, listen to me. What would you do if this were a normal case, and not someone we knew?" He asked, hoping to get her calm again.

"Derek it's not the same. She's our friend and she's in trouble. Just thinking that we might not get to her in time is. ."

"I know, I know. But what would Emily want us to do?" she paused, seeing the point he was making.

"She'd want to us find this ass hat and arrest him before he could hurt anyone else."

"There you go. Now, see if you can find out where he's been holding his victims. Since he's devolving, he'll likely go someplace familiar." He could hear her typing faster than he thought humanly possible. Less than a minute, she responded.

"There are no properties under Officer Perry's name on or near the reservoir, and there are no condemned or abandoned properties along there, either."

"Garcia," Reid chimed in, "check for any properties under his wife's name. He might have used her maiden name as a way to cover his tracks." Another few seconds, and she had results.

"Yes! Okay, so there's a property about a quarter mile away from the reservoir that was purchased under the name of Ellen Watts. The address is being sent to your phones now." They all hopped up and ran to the SUVs parked out front, demanding for backup as they stormed out of the doors. Penelope kept telling them everything she'd found.

"The purchase was made about three weeks after. . . Oh my god."

"What is it, Garcia?"

"You guys need to hear this."


	11. Chapter Ten

Emily's head was throbbing, and she could taste blood in her mouth. It smelt so foul that she thought she would be sick; the overwhelming combination of iron and sweat. Everything was black when she opened her eyes.

_He put a hood on me. _

Her muscles were tired and sore. Every time she moved something ached. How long had she been here? Her head felt hazy and she was having a hard time keeping her eyes open.

_I bet he drugged me, too. Son of a bitch. _

The wooden chair he had her tied to creaked and groaned as she fought to break free. But the ties wouldn't budge. She shivered from the cold; she could feel goose bumps rising all over her body. She knew he'd undressed her, stripped her down to nothing but her bra and underwear. He wanted to degrade her, make her feel like trash.

_You'll never do that to me. _

The sound of the door opening made her want to jump out of her skin, but she would never give him the satisfaction. She stifled it and pretended to shiver from the cold.

"Look who's awake." He said as he pulled off the hood. The bright lights made her squint; she could hardly see a thing. In the corner she could make out a table covered in bloody tools, a small object that was covered with a towel, and an older radio with bloody finger smudges all over it.

She was terrified, but she looked into his eyes without hesitation. She wasn't going to let him do this to her. Not without a fight.

"I just love how your eyes shine when you're angry. It's almost as lovely as when you're scared."

He walked over to the table and picked up a belt with blood- caked silver studs. He wrapped it around his hand as he whistled an old song, a song that had once been one of Emily's favorites. Without any warning, he punched her in the face with the wrapped hand. Her head flew back as she grunted in pain. He hit her again, this time in the stomach. She doubled over, almost vomiting on the floor. She coughed and heaved as she spit out the blood that had collected in her mouth. She could feel the blood trickle down from her nose and cheek and on her stomach.

He took this chance to unwrap the belt from his hand and whip her across the back. She shouted out, but it did no good. It just made him enjoy it more. He lashed her back over and over again, and never once did he stop whistling. Her eyes blurred with tears as she forced herself to take the pain. When he ran out of breath, he put the belt back on the table. He chuckled, lost in the memory of a previous victim who was a lot like her. Stubborn; thought that he couldn't teach her what her true place was.

_Look where that got her. _He thought.

"I know why you're doing this, Joshua." She said. He turned, his smile fading away.

"I know that you're doing this because of your wife. Because she left you-"

"Shut up! SHUT UP!" He rushed over and backhanded her, almost sending her and the chair flying backwards. She again spit out the blood that had collected in her mouth.

"You know _NOTHING _about my wife! You have no idea what that bitch did to me! She deserved everything that she got." She looked him in the eyes again and forced him to look back.

"What did you do to her?" She snarled. "Joshua, what did you do?" He just grinned again.

"Oh just wait and see. You'll know everything I did, once I'm done with you."


	12. Chapter Eleven

Morgan drove like a madman on the roads up to Anderson. Hotch sat next to him holding the phone so they could all hear Penelope.

"If his life were a book, the title of it would be 'how to create a serial killer'." Garcia said as a chill ran down her spine. Reid and Rossi leaned forward to hear her better.

"His mother, Ethel Frohman, died in childbirth and his father, Joshua Perry Sr., blamed him for her death. He went on one long drinking binge and always wound up beating the crap out young Joshua. He was in and out of hospitals until he was fourteen, when his uncle came and took him in. After that he seems to have a semi normal life. Went to college, married his dream girl, the whole kit n' caboodle. When his father died, he received a substantial settlement; turns out he died of asbestos from working in the shipyards in Monterey. His wife, Ellen Watts, was a career woman to say the least. She was a reporter for one of the bigger news stations in the area. She also volunteered so much that I'm not even sure how she slept. The woman was a serious activist."

"What else did you find, Garcia?"

"Well, it turns out that the seemingly happy couple had a lot of problems. They fought a lot, and according to card records, he liked to drink as much as his father did. Ooh, boy this is hinky. Two years ago a 911 call was placed by a friend of Ellen's. She said that they had gotten in a huge argument when she tried to leave him. According to her friend, Ellen found out she was pregnant and was afraid to have her child in the same house with Joshua. He begged Ellen to stay; said that he couldn't live without her. She still left with the friend who was picking her up, at which time he threw a bottle of Vodka at the car and shouted quote 'You're nothing, whore. I'll teach you your place. Shortly after Ellen went missing, and has not been seen or heard from since."

"And Douglas didn't think we needed to know this?" Morgan stated as he rounded a sharp turn. The thought of Emily dying was just too much to bear.

"Douglas had the records sealed and made sure that all the officers who were involved or even knew about it were removed."

"Removed how, Garcia?" Rossi asked.

"Some were shuffled around to other precincts, a few others were given early retirement."

"So he knew what his nephew was the whole time, and didn't think to stop it." Reid said in shock.

"It doesn't make sense; why would he ask for our help if he knew Joshua was the killer the whole time?" Morgan said.

"He didn't. The Mayor and the City Council were the ones who requested our help. Perry was trying to help us without revealing his involvement." Hotch stated.

"He probably has been trying to find a way to take Joshua in for years without raising suspicion to himself." Rossi added.

"Then why would he have buried the police report in the first place?" Reid asked.

"What would anyone do for the ones they love?" Rossi answered. Morgan's knuckles were white as he clenched the steering wheel. The speedometer kept rising: 70. . 80. . 90.

"Derek slow down." Hotch demanded

"If we don't get to her soon Hotch he'll kill her!" He responded.

"We'll be no help to her if we're dead." Morgan slowed the car down to 70 and kept it there. They wound the car up the dark back road that led to Joshua's secluded home.


	13. Chapter Twelve

**Hello again my lovely readers! Sorry to intrude upon your fun, but for this next part I would recommend looking up this song: Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison. It's the inspiration for the title and is also referenced in just a few paragraphs. Those of you who don't know the song, I'll put a YouTube link in here for you. Try listening to it while you read the chapter; it makes it a little more creepy. (Or maybe that's just me.) Enough of my blabbering, I'll let you get back to it! ;)**

**Link for song: watch?v=OwTXBBU0JLo**

_How long have I been here? A few hours? A few days? _Emily thought.

She was fading in and out of consciousness, but Joshua wasn't about to let her escape so easily. He went over to his radio and turned it on at full blast. Emily jumped when Brown Eyed Girl, the same song he was whistling earlier, started blaring into her ears. He started dancing around like some wild man, a wicked smile on his face.

"It's funny; I was getting a little bored with the women around here. I was thinking of going someplace new; somewhere I can really test my skills with a filleting knife. And then you fall perfectly into my lap. Just as though it were meant to be; just like fate."

"I never put much stock in fate." Emily said in a low tone. He smirked and took in the sight of her tied to the chair and bleeding; vulnerable. This wasn't just some average tramp he had here; this was an FBI agent. Killing her would guarantee that he'd be remembered. He'd be bigger than Jack the Ripper; and it's all thanks to her. He planned to take things slow; he wanted to take his time with her.

_"-with you, Brown Eyed Girl. You're my Brown Eyed Girl-" _

"This was our song, you know, Ellen's and mine. We loved Van Morrison."

He sang along in her ear as he fondled her. She struggled against the ropes, but that just cut into her skin and made her wrists bleed. He chuckled in her ear.

"You think that you're so smart. You and those other FBI morons thought you could find me. Too bad they won't find us in time to save you." He stood and went back over to the table. He picked up a carving knife and looked it over gleefully, then chuckled as he scratched his scalp with the tip if the blade. The radio kept playing:

_"You're my Brown Eyed Girl. Do you remember when we used to sing- sha la la la la la la la la la la de da-" _Her stomach churned at the sight of it. If only he'd made the ropes a little looser. If they had been she could have her wrists free by now, but every small move forced them deeper into her skin. She could see the blood starting to drip down the arms of the chair; she knew that even if she did get away somehow, she could bleed out if she didn't stop the flow. He walked towards her with knife in hand, but stopped half way and turned back to the table. He picked up a rusted metal container and shook next to his ear it to check the amount left inside. Emily could only guess as to what gruesome chemical might be in it.

"Now we're going to have some fun." He said.

"I thought we were already." She snarled back. He smirked as he loosened the cap on the container.

"You've got a lot of fight in you. I like that." He ran the blade over her body gently, almost in a caress. The cool blade against her bare skin made goose bumps rise all over her. She suppressed a shiver, knowing that even a small movement could make it pierce her skin. He chose a spot on her arm and sliced. She winced at the pain, but choked down the shouts and curses that threatened to come out. He poured some of the contents of the container into his hand- sea salt. He forced the wound to open a little wider with his fingers, and poured the salt in. Emily groaned as tears threatened to pour down her face. She forced them back. She wasn't going to let him have the satisfaction. The searing pain of the salt was excruciating, but eventually it began to subside.

Joshua ran the blade over her thigh, this cut deeper than the one on her arm. He poured more salt into his hand, and slowly rubbed it in the wound. Emily squirmed, trying to break free somehow, but it was useless. She was completely at his mercy, and its only just started. He turned to face her, and stuck the blade in just above her breast. He dragged the blade from one side to the other, making a deep slash that ran parallel to her collar bone. This time he poured the salt into his hand and rubbed it in hard, grinding the salt into her skin. The searing pain in combination with the abrasiveness of the coarse salt made the wound sizzle with pain, and made the surrounding area of skin raw. She could feel the blood dripping down her chest and onto her stomach. She groaned like an animal in pain, which made Joshua smile.

"Music to my ears." He mocked her. He grabbed the bottle of whiskey that was on the floor and drank. Then he looked at the bottle, and a gleam began to grow in his eyes. He poured the whiskey over her wounds, the liquid getting into every crevice. It felt like her cuts were on fire. He chuckled as Emily cried out, the salt and the whiskey making the pain unbearable. Emily's breathing was shallow, and her head hung low as she tried to regain her strength. The music blared once again, making Emily jump. He started dancing around, the bottle of whiskey in one hand, the carving knife in the other. He came over to Emily and ran the blade across her other thigh. He sang along with the song as he poured the whiskey into her cut. She cried out in pain, but it only made him smile more. He went to the table and retrieved the covered item- a car battery with cables. Her mouth fell open in sheer horror. He chuckled as he approached her, setting the battery down and getting ready to shock her.

"You'll like this part." He turned on the battery, and shocked her on the foot. The volts of electricity surged through her leg, making it quiver uncontrollably as the muscles reacted. He turned off the battery and laughed as tears started to roll down her cheeks The pain subsided, leaving her leg feeling numb. He put one of the connectors against her side and shocked her again. She flinched, but that didn't stop the currents from coursing through her. The feeling was unbearable, but she knew her only way out was to hang on, no matter how long.

"Son of a bitch!" She shouted. She was past being scared- now she was just angry.

"Oh what a little potty mouth you have." He said, feigning shock. He knelt down next to her, setting the connectors on the floor. He brushed her hair behind her ear and began to kiss her neck. Emily tried to turn her head away, but he grabbed her face with his hands and kissed her on the mouth. He was sloppy, trying to kiss her while groping her breasts like some thirteen year old. She let him and waited for the right moment. He forced his tongue into her mouth, and she bit down- hard. Blood rushed into her mouth, and she suppressed the urge to gag as she continued to clamp down. Joshua was finally able to break free, his blood pouring down his face. He stumbled backwards, colliding into the table and sent the radio crashing to the floor. He heaved as blood dripped from his chin to the ground. He groaned and yelped like a wounded animal. Luckily for him, she didn't completely bite his tongue off.

_That's nothing compared to what I'm going to do to him, once I get free. _

"You bitch!" He mumbled. He knelt on the floor as he tried to regain his strength. She stood and threw herself backwards towards the wall, slamming the chair against it with all of her strength. It splintered into pieces as it broke apart, allowing Emily to grab the knife off the floor before he could react. She cut the rope on her wrists with a sharp tug, sending the wooden arms of the broken chair falling to the floor. Once he realized what was happening it was too late. She had the knife, and the advantage.

"Where's your wife? Joshua, what did you do with her body?" He smiled as he spit out more blood that had collected in his mouth.

"I don't remember." She knew he was lying. He remembered; the first kill is always the most powerful. He still remembers every detail of it.

"You know what the best part of all of this is?" He said as he wiped his chin with his sleeve.

"The best part is that you still think you're going to live." He started to chuckle, his cold laugh sent chills down Emily's spine. She stepped a little closer, a cold fury burning in her eyes.

"Where is she?!" She demanded. He just continued to smile. Out of nowhere a loud bang erupted from another part of the house, like the sound of a door slamming. It shocked them both, but Joshua reacted first. He lunged at Emily, sending the knife to floor just past her reach. He fell on top of her, forcing more air out of her lungs. She tried to catch her breath, but Joshua wrapped his arms around her throat and began to squeeze.

"Not how I usually like to do this." He said between breaths. "I prefer to stick you like the pig that you are. I like to watch you bleed. But for the sake of time, I think this will work just fine." Her vision was going blurry as the edges of her vision started getting dark. She clawed at his hands, but that just made him squeeze tighter.

"This is the second time tonight that I've been on top of you. Too bad we don't have time for the other good parts." She was slipping away, and she couldn't fight him. She tried to reach for the knife, but it was still too far away. The last thing she saw was Joshua's bloody smile as everything else went black.


	14. Chapter Thirteen

Hotch and Derek went in first, followed by Reid, Rossi, and a few of the other officers. The house was dark and ominous, their footsteps the only noise that could be heard. Reid and Rossi took the top floor; the two officers took the ground floor, leaving the lower level for Derek and Hotch. The staircase creaked and groaned as they descended. Their only source of light coming from their flashlights.

They reached the bottom of the staircase and found a solid wooden door. They could hear someone talking and breathing deeply on the other side, but they couldn't understand what they said. With their guns armed and ready, Derek kicked the door open.

"Joshua let her go!" Derek demanded. Joshua just looked at him, his smug grin stretched tightly over his bloody face. He didn't move an inch.

"Joshua, step away from her and put your hands behind your head!" Hotch bellowed. He stayed still at first, but eventually he gave in, and took his hands off of Emily's neck.

"You're too late, agents. You just missed all the fun." They looked down and realized Emily wasn't breathing; she looked so beaten and scarred that it was hard to believe she was same Emily they'd seen just a few hours ago. Joshua leaned over to reach the knife, still hoping to escape and fight his way out.

"Don't do it, Joshua!" Hotch said. He looked at them, then grabbed for the knife. They fired so quickly that Joshua barely touched the handle before he fell over dead. Derek went over and kicked the knife away. Hotch went to Emily and looked her over. Her cuts were deep, but there was little chance for infection. She was bleeding badly; he needed to get the flow cut off before she lost more blood. But first, she needed to start breathing. He put his fingers against the artery in her neck. There was a faint pulse, and she was still warm. He leaned her head back and did CPR.

Reid and Rossi came running down the stairs at the sound of gunfire, and stopped dead in their tracks when they saw Emily on the ground. Hotch kept going- exhale into her mouth- compressions on the chest. And then again, and again, and again. Hotch kept going for what seemed like ages. Just as he was about to give up, Emily began to cough and heave, trying to fill her lungs with air. Her eyelids fluttered open, and when she saw Hotch she smiled; she was safe.

It was finally over.

"Where's Joshua?" She stammered, her voice a little hoarse from before.

"He's dead." He replied. Hotch took off his coat and draped it over her to warm her up. She wrapped the coat around her, her body trembling from the cold. He grabbed anything he could and started wrapping her wounds, tying them tight enough to stop the bleeding until help came. Soon enough the paramedics arrived and began to treat her injuries. They kept her overnight at the local hospital for observation, and by the next afternoon the team was headed back home.

JJ was stirring her coffee for the hundredth time when Hotch approached her by the fridge. He could tell that she needed to talk to someone.

"Can't sleep." She said.

"I could tell." He replied, grabbing a water bottle out of the fridge taking a drink. They paused, neither of them able to think of anything to say. JJ stirred her coffee again, and Hotch spoke to fill the silence.

"Sheriff Perry is going to be held as an accessory to the murders; he's looking at life in prison."

"And his wife?" She asked, not even looking up from the dark liquid in her cup.

"We still don't know what he did with Ms. Watts' body." He responded. JJ nodded. She went to stir her coffee again, but set the cup down in frustration.

"JJ?" He said, letting her start. He didn't want to pressure her to confide in him; this way was better for them both.

"It's just- seeing Emily in the hospital, seeing her now in all those casts and bandages. . . I wish we'd figured out who the unsub was before he could take her."

"If it hadn't been Emily, then it would've been someone else. And you and I both know that Emily would rather it be her than someone else." JJ knew that too, but it still didn't take away the awful feeling she'd had since Joshua took her friend.

"You are all my family. If anything were to happen to you guys. . I don't know if I could handle it." Hotch put a gentle hand on her shoulder. He wanted to tell her it'd be okay, that nothing was going to happen to them. But he knew that would be a lie; with this job, this kind of thing was bound to happen. He let out a small sigh, and spoke.

"You're right, we are your family, and we will protect each other, no matter what." she gave him a small smile of thanks, and they went back out to join the others. Emily and Derek were sitting facing each other talking casually, almost as though nothing had happened.

"So you still never told me what happened the next morning." Emily said.

"Oh no, I'm not going to say anything. Thanks to you Garcia won't stop calling me Tarzan." He and Emily both chuckled. He saw her sitting there, stitches above her eyebrow and on her lip, a black eye, a bandage on her upper chest, her arm. . She was in bad shape, and he couldn't help but somehow feel responsible.

"I'm sorry Emily."

"Derek, this wasn't your fault."

"I should've gone with you."

"None of us could've known what Joshua was." She replied. He looked out the window, watching the clouds roll slowly by outside. Emily leaned forward, putting her hand on his.

"Derek I'll be fine." She said, trying her hardest to convince him. He nodded and turned back to the window. She would be fine eventually, and she knew things would go back to normal. She just wished everyone would stop worrying about her. She took a sip of her water and stretched her legs. Her muscles were still sore and fatigued, but it felt good to relax. Before she knew it she fell asleep in her chair, fading away into a dreamless sleep.

Rossi stood and draped a blanket over her, then went back to his seat to maybe take a rest of his own. They each tried to relax, but Emily was the only one who was able to fall asleep. Their minds kept thinking about the case- could it have ended differently? Would they have been able to find Joshua out sooner? What if they hadn't gotten there in time? Reid tried playing chess with himself, but that didn't seem to help. Eventually they all managed to find a comfortable corner of their mind and were able to focus on other things, the jet flying them back to their home.


	15. Chapter Fourteen

**_Two weeks later. . ._**

Derek walked into the bullpen, saying hello to most of the people who passed him by. He was having a great morning- he finally finished a property he was hoping to sell, he got a great nights sleep, and he met a rather cute woman on the way up here when he held open the door for her. He walked into the bullpen with a smile on his face.

"Derek, something just came for you. It's on your desk." JJ said in passing. He said thanks and went to his desk. There was a small box, wrapped in bright red paper with a silver bow on top. He read the note that was on top.

"_For you, Derek. Enjoy." _

He was suspicious. It wasn't his birthday, or any other holiday that would solicit a gift. He was worried that it might be some hilarious and possibly messy, disgusting prank, so he opened it slowly. . Slowly. .

Inside there were a dozen Speedos of different colors, patterns, and fabrics. Emily, JJ, Garcia and Reid were on the other side of the bullpen laughing hysterically at the sight of Derek holding up a leopard-print Speedo with utter confusion. He started laughing so hard his sides started hurting.

"You guys realize this is war now, right?"

"We're ready for you, Tarzan!" Garcia responded, causing them all to laugh again. Things were finally back to normal again, and none of them would've traded that moment for anything.

**_"Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light." Helen Keller._**


End file.
